Photo Flash: BROTHERS FROM THE BOTTOM Opens at Billie Holiday Theatre

The award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre launches its 39th season on October 15, with the world premiere of Jackie Alexander's play Brothers from the Bottom.  The Equity production, also directed by Jackie Alexander, will open October 28 and run through December 19 at the 200-seat Billie Holiday Theatre, Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn; Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm, and Sundays at 4:00pm, with tickets $15 - $25, available at zerve.com/BHolidayInc/Brothers.
 
The new play follows two brothers in post-Katrina New Orleans, faced with an impending building project that will transform their neighborhood.  The action explores all sides of the fraught gentrification issue - a clear parallel to The Billie Holiday Theatre's own Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, currently in the throes of a changing demographic.
 
"Gentrification is a subject of heated debate not only in Bed-Stuy and New Orleans, but countless other communities across America," says Alexander.  "And while it was important to me that the story be told from the African-American point of view, the themes of family, change, and economic power are universal."
 
The play features an ensemble cast of Nicoye Banks, Thaddeus Daniels, Joy Hooper, Anja Lee, Neko Parham, and Warner Miller.  In addition to playwright/director Jackie Alexander, the creative team includes Felix E. Cochren (scene design), Helen Simmons-Collen (costume design) and Avan (light design/stage management).
 
Award-winning playwright and director Jackie Alexander has been tapped to write and direct all three mainstage shows for the 2010-11 season, marking a rare, bold dedication by an off-Broadway company to a single playwright.  The three plays explore the themes of change, identity, family, and modern values in African-American culture.
 
Now in its 39th season, the AUDELCO and Obie Award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre serves over 30,000 people annually and has garnered a well-earned reputation for providing outstanding professional Theater Productions at affordable prices. Under the leadership of Marjorie Moon, the 200-seat theater has a 40-week season dedicated to producing work relevant to African-American experience.  A training ground for performing artists, notable alumni include Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Allen, Samm-Art Williams, Weldon Irvine, Tichina Arnold, and more.  www.facebook.com/billieholidaytheatre

 Photo Credit: David A. Charles